Vlad Tepes
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Vlad III Dracula, also known as Vlad III the Impaler (Romanian: Vlad Ţepeş), was a Voievod of Wallachia, ruling at 1448 but was thwarted and only started again between 1456 and 1462. He also plotted a reconquest in 1476. Secretly, Vlad was a member of the Templar Order, and played a large role in their fight against the Ottomans.
Biography
In 1462, the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II was driven back by Vlad III Dracula near Bucharest. However, the latter was betrayed and imprisoned by the Hungarian king Matthias Corvinus. This caused outrage among many influential Hungarian figures and Western admirers of Vlad's success in the battle against the Ottoman Empire (and his early recognition of the threat it posed), including high-ranking members of the Vatican and the remnants of the Byzantine nobility. Because of this, Matthias granted him the status of distinguished prisoner.
Eventually, Dracula was freed in late 1475 and was sent with an army of Hungarian and Serbian soldiers to recover Bosnia from the Ottomans. He defeated the Ottoman Forces and he gained his first victory against the Ottoman Empire. Upon this victory, the Ottoman forces entered Bucharest in 1476 under the command of Mehmed II. During a fierce battle, Vlad was killed and, according to some sources, his head and ceremonial dagger were sent to Constantinople to discourage the other rebellions.
Legacy
In 1511, the Assassin Ezio Auditore da Firenze went on a quest to find Vlad the Impaler's blade hidden in his prison, which was rumored to be a weapon that could defeat any foe.
His genetic memories were later used by the Templar company Abstergo Industries in 2012 to train Animus subjects, under the title of the Count.
Trivia
- In Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Vlad the Impaler Coins are used as trade items.
- According to legend, some people believed that Vlad was a vampire because of his white skin and the fact that he barely came outside. This folklore and his ruthless acts during his reign became the inspiration for the famous vampiric character "Dracula".
- He was given the nickname "The Impaler" because of the way he would torture his victims. He would put lard or some type of lubricant on a large wooden spike and put them at the top of it with it between their legs and eventually they would be impaled, thus the nickname. The spikes were formed in a large circle as a barricade around his fortresses, also used to threaten any who oppose him.